This invention is a tape dispenser intended for use in applying a transfer adhesive to a working surface. A dispenser for a transfer adhesive is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,718,971, owned by the same assignee as that of the present application. The disclosure of the cited patent is incorporated by reference herein.
As used herein, the term "transfer adhesive" means an adhesive which is provided on a non-adhesive backing, and which can be transferred from the backing onto a working surface. Transfer adhesives have many uses. For example, one can apply a strip of transfer adhesive to the surface of a bulletin board, so that paper notes, or similar items, will adhere to the surface. Or one can apply a strip of transfer adhesive directly to a piece of paper, enabling that paper to adhere to other papers or surfaces.
The transfer adhesives described above are usually provided in rolls wound over cores. Transfer adhesives are also used in various manufactured products, such as the self-adhesive note pads sold by the 3M Company under the trademark "Post-It". The dispenser of the present invention, like that shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,718,971, can be used to convert an ordinary piece of paper into an article which is similar to a "Post-It" note.
Various types of transfer adhesives, and dispensers for transfer adhesives, have been known in the art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,969,181 shows a dispenser for a transfer adhesive having a supply reel, a take-up reel, and an applicator roller. U.S. Pat. No. 3,274,038 shows a dispensing device for a transfer adhesive having a supply reel and a fixed applicator surface around which the tape is drawn. And U.S. Pat. No. 4,336,097 discloses a dispenser for a transfer adhesive, the dispenser having first and second cavities for holding the tape. U.S. Pat. No. 4,718,971, cited above, is another example.
The dispenser of the present invention is not limited to use with any particular formulation of adhesive. The invention can be used to dispense any type of adhesive which is provided in a roll, and which has a backing that must be discarded after the adhesive is used.
One problem with dispensers of the prior art, including that described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,718,971, is the ability of the supply reel to rotate in the undesired direction. If the user tries to apply the transfer adhesive by moving the dispenser in the wrong direction, the supply reel may rotate, and cause considerable unwanted slack in the tape. Indeed, the slack is often serious enough to create a large loop of tape which may be difficult to rewind onto the supply reel. The dispensers of the prior art do not have satisfactory means for insuring that the reels rotate in only the desired direction.
The dispenser of the present invention is an improvement over the dispensers of the prior art, in part because it performs the job of a three-roller dispenser with only two reels. The functions of the take-up reel and applicator roller are performed by the same component. Thus, the dispenser of the present invention is much less expensive to manufacture than a three-reel dispenser, but it does virtually the same job as its more expensive predecessor.
The dispenser of the present invention also has the advantage that it prevents unwanted rotation of the supply reel in the wrong direction. This feature can be accomplished either through a unique modified gear arrangement, or by using a pinion gear or one-way pin to prevent the unwanted rotation. With the present invention, the user need not be concerned with the direction of movement of the dispenser, while applying the transfer adhesive. If the user attempts to move the dispenser in the wrong direction, the supply reel will nevertheless remain stationary.